Learn what daily life was like for Ancient Greek women.
Aspasia:Welcome to Korinth, wanderer. I have a special visit planned for you today. It's an intimate, informative look into the lives of Greek women.
("Who are you?")
Aspasia:My name is Aspasia. Though I am not originally from Athens, I have climbed to the top of its social ladder using my wit and intellect. I've even earned the love of Perikles, one of the most powerful men in the city. The mind truly is a beautiful thing.
("What do you think of this place?")
Aspasia:It's amazing what women could accomplish while men spent all day trying to out-debate each other at assembly meetings. Their work should be far more appreciated on the whole, but we're going to acknowledge that now.
("Let's begin the tour.")
Aspasia:Korinth was one of the largest cities in Ancient Greece. it had had estimated population of 90,000 in my times, and much of that population was made up of women. This tour will shine a light on those women, and look at how they lived on a day-to-day basis. Look for me when you're done with your visit, and we can discuss things further.
Red-figure lebes gamikos (used in marriage ceremonies) with scene showing preparations for a wedding / 420 BCE (Classical Greece)
Young girls growing up in Ancient Greece cities were usually raised by a nurse.
They mostly stayed in the women's quarters of the house, the gynaikon, where they spent their time spinning threads and weaving.
While there is not much historical evidence of young girls at play, especially compared to boys, it was still known to happen.
For example, an ancient terracotta group depicts two girls playing ephedrismos.
This was a competition to see who could strike an upright rock from afar using a pebble or ball.
The game's loser had to close their eyes and carry the victor until they managed to touch the same rock with their hands.
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It's estimated that the area that would eventually be known as Korinth was inhabited as early as the Neolithic period, around 6500 BCE.
During the Classical period, Korinth was a rival to both Athens and Thebes because of its control of the Isthmus of Korinth. However, under Alexander the Great and his successors, Korinth, along with many other Greek cities, lost its autonomy.
In 146 BCE, Romans under the command of Lucius Mummius besieged Korinth. Mummius killed all the male inhabitants and sold the women and children into slavery, then burned the city down.
The Romans built a new city in Korinth's place in 44 BCE, which they later made the provincial capital of Greece.
Red-figure neck-amphora depicting a father, mother and their child / 450-400 BCE (Classical Greece)
For a young Greek woman, marriage was the culmination of their induction into society.
The average life expectancy from women was about forty years, so most marriages took place when the bride was fourteen or fifteen years old.
The marriage did not require her consent, either. Instead, she was passed on from the protection of her father to that of her husband.
Married women were not technically citizens at the time, and lacked the rights that came with official citizenship.
However, they did receive a dowry that only they were allowed to spend, but in the event of a failed marriage, to dowry was returned to the bride's father.
After the marriage was consummated, the woman's status changed from being a maiden to a bride.
She remained a bride until the birth of her first child, wherein she officially became a woman.
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A male citizen's parents usually lived in his house along with his wife and children. However, ancient households in Athens and Korinth were normally not composed of extensive families.
Woman and possibly her daughter doing the laundry, from a red-figure pelike / 470-460 BCE (Classical Greece)
Women living in Ancient Greek cities were essentially forbidden from participating in political life and most aspects of their lives were controlled by men.
Their most important responsibilities were running the household and giving birth to children, preferably boys.
Most of the time, women's excursions outside of the house were limited to visiting other female neighbors, as per custom.
The few exceptions to this strict rule were weddings, funerals, and religious festivals involving women in prominent public roles.
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Ancient Greek men dedicated most of their time to public life, but Greek home life was dominated by women.
An Athenian or Korinthian wife was in charge of the household, and divided her tome between spinning, weaving, and sewing family garments. Meanwhile, duties like food preparation and child-rearing were usually performing by women slaves. However, if a family was too poor to afford many slaves, the wife took on these responsibilities.
Women working at a loom, scene from a black-figure lekythos / 550-530 BCE (Archaic Greece)
Making textiles was the main occupation for most Greek women. It was a woman's responsibility to manufacture clothing for each of her family members, as well as to weave other household textiles.
Women with exceptional weaving skills were believed to make excellent wives and weaving in general was seen as a very attractive quality.
For example, Homer describes Odysseus' devoted wife Penelope as spending most of her days weaving at the loom.
Similarly, many Greek vases depicting women weaving were combined with images of a woman holding a veil, which was seen as the symbol of a bride.
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Some evidence of ancient weaving activities comes from an Archaic black-figure terracotta lekythos (vessel). The vessel depicts women weighing wool, spinning, working on an upright loom, and folding finished garments.
Besides weaving, another daily activity in Ancient Greece was fetching water from the local fountain house. The activity gave women the opportunity to socialize outside of their homes.
Women were also responsible for visiting the tombs of family members. Typically, the brought offerings and tied sashes around the grave steles.
Women could attend public speeches and visit certain sanctuaries, but only if they were accompanied by men.
Figurines of a butcher and a cook / 525-475 BCE (Archaic Greece)
Ancient Greek women cooked in their house's kitchen area. However, since their cooking equipment was small and portable, they also sometimes prepared meals in the central courtyard.
This was also where women performed other domestic activities. These activities were rarely seen by visiting men or passers-by, because the architecture of Classical Greek houses facilitated the social norm that women should never be seen at work.
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Many Greek art depictions of women preparing food suggest that cooking was occasionally done in the courtyard, where they enjoyed fresh air.
However, women mostly cooked in kitchen complexes located at the back of the house, where they would not be seen by others.
Hetaira in the temple of Aphrodite in Korinth, concept art by Caroline Soucy
The historian Strabo relays that the Temple of Aphrodite was one of Korinth's most famous landmarks. This was largely due to the temple's female patrons.
These hetaerae, as they were called, were donated to the the goddess by both men and women. According to Strabo, the Temple of Aphrodite contributed greatly to Korinth's wealth.
The hetaerae were the temple's main attraction, and many visitors came to Korinth in search of their company, for which they spent frequently and frivolously.
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In Athens, the legendary lawmaker Solon was credited with creating brothels with regulated prices. Brothels employed men and women of all ages, and were visited by a predominantly male clientele.
Aspasia:Hello again, wanderer. I Hope your visit was an interesting one. Greek women lived restricted lives compared to men, but throughout it all, they held on to their strength and dignity.
("I'm ready for the quiz.")
Aspasia:Feeling up for a test? Excellent. Let's begin with an easier question. What was the name of the woman's quarters in a Greek home?
Aspasia:Correct! The gynaikon was where young girls spent their days weaving and spinning threads. On to the next question...
Aspasia:What was the name of the woman's quarters in a Greek home?
Aspasia:The Korinthian temple said to employ the hetaerae was dedicated to which god?
Aspasia:Correct! Aphrodite was the goddess of love and passion, so it's only fitting her temple served such an... amorous purpose. We're almost done. Just one more question.
Aspasia:No, the temple was not dedicated to Athena. Try a different answer.
Aspasia:The Korinthian temple said to employ the hetaerae was dedicated to which god?
Aspasia:What was the name of Odysseus' wife?
Aspasia:Yes! Penelope was Odysseus' loyal wife , who kept at her weaving while waiting for her husband to return from war.
Aspasia:What was the name of Odysseus' wife?
Aspasia:You passed the test, wanderer. Congratulations.
("Take on the next suggested tour.")
Aspasia:Of course! Let's see what Greece has in store for you.
